LONDON, Feb 16: Lennox Lewis said Friday he would give Mike Tyson “the whipping he deserves” in June but only if the American gets some “psychiatric help” first.

World heavyweight champion Lewis was scheduled to defend his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles against Tyson in Las Vegas on April 6.

But that original match never came to fruition after a brawl at a pre-fight press conference led the Nevada State Athletic Commission to deny Tyson a licence.

Tyson has since been granted a licence to box in Georgia, raising the possibility of a meeting in June at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

But 36-year-old Lewis insisted Friday that while he wants to box Tyson he will not step into the ring with him unless the American seeks help first.

In a statement issued here Friday by his management company Main Events Lewis said: “I am informed that Mike Tyson has now secured a boxing licence. Now that Mr Tyson has been licensed, I look forward to meeting him in the ring in June.

“However, I want to again make clear, as I have already told the Tyson camp, that Mike Tyson must get some psychiatric help before we go forward in June.

“I very much want to give Mike Tyson the whipping he deserves, but above all I want the fight to be a true sporting event, where the sweet science of boxing is on display.”—AFP